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Presumably these satellites are transmitting data back to Earth? Is that channel not bidirectional? If those satellites can be remote reprogrammed, are they rea
by colemickens 10y ago
Presumably these satellites are transmitting data back to Earth? Is that channel not bidirectional? If those satellites can be remote reprogrammed, are they really much different than satellites in geosynchronous orbit? Or are you suggesting that satellites in geosync orbit could be manually updated via EVA? I would think that would still be extremely cost-prohibitive (not to mention a huge risk to human life for a weather satellite! Has that ever actually happened?
- walrus01 10y agoI'm saying sort of the opposite - there have been very, very rare cases where satellites in LEO were visited by humans and repaired or retrieved, but it's extremely uneconomical (Hubble, LDEF, etc). Actually cheaper to build and launch a new one. But at least it is technologically possible. Whereas nobody has ever gone to geostationary orbit. There have been proposals for ion engined orbital tugs to grab onto old, out-of-stationkeeping-propellant satellites that still have good electronics, for the purpose of extending their life, or moving them to a new orbital position. But nothing has actually flown.
- cmcginty 10y agoThe moon is beyond geostationary orbit, and I think we've been there ;-)
- ptaipale 10y agoParticularly, if you don't want to land on the Moon, just go round it and return, then it's easier - you don't need that much propulsion to get back. But to get to geostationary orbit and stop there, you need rocket power. To get back, you would also need power.
- misnome 10y agoRight, OP wasn't saying that we had never been _beyond_ GEO, but never been to the orbit - going through is a lot easier than stopping off partway.
- walrus01 10y agoWe've been to the moon but humans have never put a manned craft in geostationary orbit, or returned from it - the delta-V requirements are different.